… living the beautiful tension between what is, and what will be …

Dear Faith {Letters From My Heart}

Yes. YOU are beautiful. You asked me recently if I thought you were pretty and I said yes. But I didn’t get to tell you why.

You are pretty, but you are also beautiful. Pretty has to do with the form of your face and the color of your hair – you are pretty!

Beauty is something a little more, it has to do with you as a person and it comes from the inside out. Every day I meet pretty people that are ugly and plain people who are beautiful.

You see, beauty has more to do with our state of being and less with a set of circumstances. Circumstances change – the cute jeans you just bought will be out of style next year. Beauty however never goes out of style. Itis two things – a state of being anda feeling.

There’s an old phrase that says “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”.What it means is that I may think a geranium is beautiful but
you may not. So we naturally place the value or worth of the geranium on our own personal opinion of it, and it’s use to us.

This is the way our world and society view both “beautiful” and “pretty”. They are standards and measurements that will always change based on every. single. persons. different. opinion. This is how beauty becomes something subjective and circumstantial.

However, beauty always lies true in the eyes of the beholder who created it.

Psalms 50 tells us that He (The Lord) ‘shines forth from Zion perfect in beauty’. The Lord is perfectly beautiful and who was made in His image? You. You, Faith were made perfectly beautiful in His image. Genesis tells us that after the Lord God created us, He called His creation (You!) ‘good’. You know what ‘good’ means? Pleasing to the eye. And so once again beautiful. This is why beauty is a state of being. We were created beautiful and then called beautiful by the only One whose opinion really counts. The beauty He gave us changes only when it is marred by sin (that’s why pretty people are ugly). Even marred by sin, He still saw so much value and worth in us, that Jesus was sent to redeem us and make us beautiful once again.

Beauty is your state of being. It does not rest in the number of guys who do or don’t talk to you, it’s not valued in your grades at school or measured in the length of your hair. You are beautiful because you were created and called beautiful by the Author of beauty. People can say what they want, but I would trust the Expert.

Beauty is also a feeling. We both know that we can know in our heads that we are beautiful but we don’t ways feel beautiful. To be honest, the times I’ve felt the most beautiful was not when I’ve worn my prettiest dress or put on my make up just right. I feel the most beautiful when I am doing the things The Lord created me to do.

I’m sitting by a pond right now as I write you this letter. I’m hot and sweaty, and who knows where my make up went. But I feel beautiful. Why? Because I’m writing to you. The Lord made me to teach and to share about His love. It’s often after the longest hardest days I feel the most beautiful, for they are the days I have spent my all for Him. We feel beautiful when we do what He created us to do.

So what about all the make up and pretty clothes and hair styles?

Why I’m glad you asked! They are simply wonderful!When our outward get up is a celebration of the enjoyment of the beauty we have been given, getting dressed is fun! There is a big difference between adding to the beauty that is already there, and trying to create beauty. When we add to the beauty it’s a freeing celebration. Both a hoddie and a dress feel beautiful.

When we look to clothes or make up or the things we are a part of to satisfy us or make us feel beautiful, we will come up empty every time.

Things aren’t supposed to make us feel beautiful, they are a way to celebrate the beauty we already have. <— Click to Tweet

When we let our circumstances, the scale, or fashion tell us we are pretty or beautiful their voices will be empty and fleeting. We can’t receive life and meaning from from things that do not have life. Life is beautiful. And you have been given Life. So add to the beauty, but know that what you add does not determine your worth, value, or beauty.

Faith, you are pretty when your hair is in that adorable messy bun, and your trendy black rimmed glasses grace your nose, but you are also beautiful when you quietly serve the family and gently straighten up a room.

I want you to stop reading this letter and get up and go into the bathroom. Look into the mirror and pause.

No I mean it, go do it now before you continue reading.

You’re back? Good. The freckled girl you saw looking back at you IS BEAUTIFUL. Yes Faith you are pretty. And as you grow out of your teenage years into a women, I don’t doubt you will become even more pretty. But you are also beautiful. And not because I say you are. You are beautiful because you bear and reflect His image and He calls you beautiful.

Hear me again because we all need the reminder: You are beautiful.

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5 thoughts on “Dear Faith {Letters From My Heart}”

Hello Katie. So blessed to know you through your profile. I am so glad and privileged to know you more through your blog “Not Unredeemed” and the post on it ” Dear Faith (Letters from my heart)”. This is so touching, so encouraging and spirit lifting. Thank you so much for your sharing. I am sure coming across your profile is not an accident but God has definate purpose in it. I am in the Pastoral ministry for last 35yrs in the great city of Mumbai, Indi a city with great contrast where richest of rich and the poorest of poor live. We reach out to the poorest of poor with the love of Christ to bring healing to the broken hearted. We also encourage young people as well as adults from the West to come to Mumbai on a short / long term missions trip to work with us during their summer/ Christmas vacation. We would lovet o have you as well as some of your siblings to come to Mumbai on a short / long term missions trip to work with us. I am sure you will be never the same. Looking forward to hear from you. I am also going to write you on your emal id . I am quite impressed by the ministry you have and would love to remain connected to pray for you and your ministry.

First of all I want to say great blog! I had a quick question that I’d like to ask if you do not mind.
I was curious to know how you center yourself and clear your head prior to writing.
I have had difficulty clearing my thoughts in getting
my thoughts out there. I truly do enjoy writing however it just seems like
the first 10 to 15 minutes tend to be lost just trying to figure out how to begin. Any ideas or tips?
Kudos!